The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-07

after many days 10 be made comes 10 us
almost exclusively from North Carolina
and Virginia 1t is in itself mild to
baeco. and 20 make II milder yet only
the four or five lower leaves are chosen,
the strength Of the plant, like that Of
celery, for instance, deserving the lower
leaves and concentrating above. These
leaves come mp from the south packed like
solid logs into immense hogsheads, but rs
soon as the "hands" into which they are
tied are UNFINISHED, they are put into n
steam bath and sOftened and cleaned.
The steam PUSHES through them, big
brawny armed black men turn them and
toss them and then lay them in layers on
the floor As each thankful is laid down,
one of the men takes pail full Of rum,
glucose and some few other improving
liquids necessary 10 give the right flavor
ing, and with a whisk broom sprinkles
them thoroughly
From this improving treatment the
leaves 40 into the trough Of the cutting
machine They 20 in loosely enough, but
when they are dragging by brass plate
chain through the smallest possible aper-
ture to meet the revolving knives the soft
leaves are pressed into block like wood.
Standing IN front Of the knives and
watching the mist. which is all that one
can see in their 200 revolutions in u min
ute, the ever changing surface of THU
shayen block Of leaves IS q thing Of mar
Vicious beauty The four BANGED knives
cut oil innumerable fine shuNings Ia q
minute ana the result is surface that
looks alive The yellow stems and veins
change their relative positions on the
brown leaves with every cut, nnd the re-
suit is wnking, blinking mass that com
pletcly fasciuales The beholdcr The
knives are stopped. aud I'm the box below
/. the shredded tobacco, exactly as We see
IL in the finished cigarette, damp, II i-
true but that is necessary ina the making.
and the over supply is kept covered by
wet blankets until carried To the makers.
Then comes the making You 90 into
a large, low, light room, down which 20
long benches which are partitioned of in
three foot compartments. On each side,
zach at n place Of her own, sit the girls
Before them are stout bit Of paper
fastened by the back edge II the table
two y iunds OF tobacco and some packs Of
rice paper 4 marble slab is at the right
hand and on it some humps of wet starch
AID long pointed stick. With her left
hand the grl picks up u paper, lays it on
the rOler with the front edge slightly pro
jecting. With her right hand she picks
up the tobacco, not too much, but just
enough, aud puts it on the rice paper,
squeezing it little into shape as she does
So Then she takes up the Two corners OF
both papers that are nearsct her gnd lays
them over towards the back. then brings
hem back, rolling zap the tobacco villa
her thumbs as Sle does 50. Getting IL
moderately firm. she changes g Tie tips
VI her fingers and rolls il snugly lifting il
the while from the under paper \
second and it lies along her LETT forchnger,
rolled but with loose edge The starch
stick glidcs along this, another twist and
1t is sealed and delivered, that Is to shy,
dropped into the box edge of the bench
Tie process looks exceedingly simple,
tut it often takes week Of patient teach
Ing and trial to learn the many motions
correctly, aud even then 1t j. astounding
to think how many motions il takes 60
make even a thousand cigarettes ia day.
The maker Of thousand perfect cigar
cites cOniainiu' neither four ounces more
nor less than Two pounds receives seven
Is Ave cents for her work. Does il seem
possible, then, that any one could make
600 Of these in a day, Hardly. ana yet
they DO.
After leaving the hands OF the makers
he cigarettes are passed over to the cut
tiers, who sit between aisles and with big
shears cut oil the hanging shreds Of to-
Dacco from the ends These shreds are
stantiy swept away by the little sweep
T. whose duty it is 10 keep the door al
wavs in perfect order The finished CT
garettcs 90 next To the examiners, who
run through the boxes. and with the eyes
If ferrets, pick ont the badly made or i'm
perfect CUES. In some instances fifteen
cents hundred is taken out at the end Of
the week for cigarettes 50 badly made as
to be necessarily split open and made
again
The boxing and stamping aud the pack
Ing is work very easily imagined, the only
particular interest being in the rapidity
and automatic precision with which it is
done. And, indeed the whole fascina-
ton of the trade lies ia the Lightning like
aimbleness which is necessary TO bring
about satisfactory result The work is
clean and is said TO be healthy the girls
themselves claiming that they have rarely
any trouble except with headache, which
IS very possibly caused by the fumes Of
tobacco, but very probably is nothing for
which further reason is necessary than
what lack Of exercise ana such close ap-
plication to work can give
The rules Of attending 10 the bushes at
hand vary considerably, according 10 the
In one leading factory absolute
silence is imposed upon the workers re
sardless of the fact that if they waste
tine il is their own loss, and the penal
ties imposed are exceedingly severe. II IA
seventy five cent girl is caught whisper
Ing or talking with another girl she Is put
down to seventy or sixty five cents IA thou
sand. 4 second Offense brings either
further reduction or a solemn warning
Or both The third brings dismissal A
teacher or fOrewOman-"qu as the
girls cali these lofty creatures-wh0 TIT
bends sufficiently 10 speak even tOUn own
sister otherwise tian with the voice Of
authority is at once pat down TO making
cigarettes again.
Nor do the fines and authority end with |
leaving the building To 20 home. The !
firm employs a detective and any number |
II stool pigeons to watch their en-
ployes at night a girl who is seen on
Sixth avenue after 8 or $3.50 at night is |
discharged the next day The life Of an |
honest girl who is being Swallowed TO and |
from her home, her house watched and +!